Welcome back to the home of the oxymoron. Evil genius. He asked the newspaper to print his obituary early so he'd enjoy it. That's like hiding at your own funeral. Yeah, it's a big, great gig. I'm Russell Kane. Join me to weigh in on whether the biggest players in history are more evil or genius. Becoming that rich, I'd say that at some level of genius. It also helps that it's a long time ago, right?

It's like the podcast version of telling your kids the ice cream van plays music when it's out of ice cream.

Listen to evil genius on BBC Sounds.

This is a download from the BBC.

For more information and our terms of use, go to BBC.com.uk slash radio three. Welcome to the Theatre Royal Stratford East.

It was here 50 years ago that Joan Littlewood's Theatre Workshop Company premiered a musical entertainment called Oh What a Lovely War. Its combination of satire, songs and a few jokes had a seismic impact.

To find out why, we're fortunate to be joined by a panel of guests who were in the show, present at its debut,

chronicle the changing times in which it was born, or recently revived it for a new generation.

I'm delighted to be joined by Murray Melvin, one of the original cast, who now looks after the

Joan Littlewood Archive here at the Theatre Royal. Erica Wyman of the Royal Shakespeare Company,

who directed a version of Oh, What a Lovely

War for Northern Stage just a few years ago. The Guardian's theatre critic Michael Billington

and the historian David Kinniston, author of Modernity Britain.

I want to start by taking you back to 1963 and that production.

Michael, when did you first come across the show?

Well, I came here as a paying customer, which is quite rare now,

in the summer of 1963, about June, I think, my first visit to Stratford East,

and I saw the show, which had had rave reviews, I wasn't a critic, and I was obviously knocked out by it. My chief memory is

of the emotional impact it made, and, I mean, many of you will know this, I mean,

Jonathan was extraordinary technique of giving you simultaneous bits of information. I mean,

if I can give one tiny famous example,

there's a marvelous moment when the soldiers are singing

...